Reeves would like to stay with Falcons

FLOWERY BRANCH - Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves says he will continue to meet with new owner Arthur Blank to help shape the future of the team.

Reeves said Monday that he has no plans other than coaching the Falcons next season - making it clear that if he isn't he won't be seeking another NFL coaching job.

The proposed sale of the Falcons - announced nearly five weeks ago - won't be official until February 2nd when NFL owners vote on Blank's purchase.

Though he has known Blank for several years, Reeves has yet to receive a total endorsement from the prospective owner.

Last month, Reeves invited Blank to address the team, and the two men met privately to discuss the future over lunch.

NOTES: Reeves all but said goodbye to Terance Mathis on Monday.

The franchise's all-time leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns caught had a heart-to-heart talk with Reeves, who held one-on-one meetings with all but two players.

Mathis, a Stone Mountain native who's been a fan favorite since he arrived from the New York Jets in 1994, is the kind of hard-nosed player Reeves loves.

Unfortunately, Mathis will count $4.97 million against the team's salary cap in 2002, and the Falcons can't afford to pay big money to a 12-year veteran who will be 35 at the start of next season. Mathis' 11.1 yards per catch were a career low, and his 51 receptions and two touchdowns were single-season lows in his time with the Falcons.

Reeves indicated the only way Mathis could return would be if he was willing to take a huge pay cut.

``I think Terance knows the predicament we're in,'' Reeves said. ``Would I like to have Terance? Yes, I'd like to have him. If that's going to be possible, it's going to be a situation where it's a long, drawn-out process, and see where it is at the end.''

Mathis wasn't available for comment.

VANISHING ACT: When Jamal Anderson's season ended with a knee injury in Week 3, the Falcons felt confident in Maurice Smith's ability to fill the void.

Reeves, Anderson and several veteran players insisted the Falcons wouldn't suffer a repeat of 1999 - the year Atlanta dropped from sixth to 30th in NFL rushing average behind an anemic offensive line and weak efforts from running backs Byron Hanspard and Ken Oxendine.

Smith, a second-year undrafted free agent from North Carolina A&T, ran 163 times over his first six weeks and averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Though hardly spectacular, Smith's performances looked Herculean compared with what transpired over the last six weeks.

Beginning with the second half of a 10-7 win over the Panthers, Smith ran 71 times for a 2.0 average per carry. Contributing to his decline were a severely twisted ankle, a strained knee and in Sunday's 31-13 loss at St. Louis, a stress fracture in his left foot.

``I think that's part of it,'' Reeves said Monday. ``I don't think Maurice was completely healthy.''

Reeves thought the injuries often affected Smith's mind more than his body.

``A lot of it is trying to make something too quickly, not being patient and taking your cues and so forth, which is what you seen in a young running back,'' Reeves said. ``Unfortunately, as a running back, so much of running with the football is instincts. When you have an injury, all of a sudden those instincts become a thinking process, and that's not good when you have to think, 'Well, my ankle hurts. I can't cut here. I've got to fake him this way and do that.' ''

NICE CHANGE: Despite Smith's problems, he played well enough in the first half, and the Falcons got strong play from Anderson and Rodney Thomas to finish with 1,773 net yards rushing and a 4.1 average.

Last year, Atlanta had 1,214 and 3.5 as the Falcons ended with the NFL's No. 28 rushing attack. This season saw an improvement to No. 16. The 110.8 average per game was the team's second-best single-season effort in the last 13 years.

WRONG WAY: The Falcons' pass defense was virtually nonexistent, finishing last in the league with a 243.1 average that ranks as the fourth-worst in franchise history. ... Four of Atlanta's final five losses were decided by an average of 19.8 points.